Our 2019 International Chef in Residence Ryan Brown (Class of 2006) still uses this recipe from his SCS days!
I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec in a family that celebrated food on a daily basis. I was always fortunate enough to have one of my parents at home with me growing up, so I made impromptu lunches and dinners from scratch with Dad or baked cheesecakes or cupcakes with Mom. Cooking was always a job, but never entered my mind as a career opportunity until I discovered the Stratford Chefs School, where I graduated before my 20th birthday…
Latkes (potato pancakes) are a delicious reminder of the Hanukkah story, and have origins in the eastern European countries of Germany, Austria, Russia and Poland as a peasant food. Potatoes were cheap, plentiful and easy to store, making them a staple and necessitating inventive potato recipes…
I was born in Lerwick, Scotland and grew up near Aberdeen. I was interested in cooking at a young age, watching my mother cook. After traveling and working in many pubs I came to Canada in 2005, and graduated from the Stratford Chefs School in 2011…
With the Escoffier at the Ritz dinner fast approaching, I wanted to draw your attention to something special: a set of silver serving trays we use in the dining room … but the fact that they’re beautiful and made of real silver are only tiny parts of what makes them so special…
I have come to appreciate the role coffee can play as a partner at the table, not just in desserts or as an after-dinner beverage, mind you; the range of Revel’s meticulously sourced and roasted coffee beans work beautifully in the savoury kitchen, and can bring unexpected earthy, floral, and even fruity notes to the table…
I am originally from Montreal, but moved to Kingston to attend Queen’s University, where I studied Philosophy and Classics. I fell in love with the hospitality industry while I was still in school, and ultimately decided to pursue a career in the kitchen. A chance meeting with the then-Executive Director of SCS (KP!) while working in a restaurant owned by SCS Alumni (Olivea!) brought me to Stratford to study, and now Stratford is home…
As new cooks, we are constantly learning: techniques, flavours, equipment we’ve never seen or used before. Everything is fresh and exciting and we want to excel with them all. Skill, knowledge and experience are all required to be a good chef, but knowing how to use them with refinement is what makes a great one.
Earlier this month, during one of the coldest weeks of this winter, students at the Stratford Chefs School were lucky enough to experience some Italian warmth thanks to a visit from Chef Gino Minacapilli. He was here as our second and final International Guest Chef in Residence for this year. He is a chef and teacher at a school of hospitality in the region of Piedmont, an area of Italy renowned for the production of Barolo and Barbaresco wines, truffles and many other Italian delicacies.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to have lunch with Gabrielle Hamilton at Rene’s Bistro. We talked about food writing, being a chef and her process for choosing menus. These are the bits of the interview that weren’t just us rambling about drinking at the Boars Head and our mutual love Eddie Huang. It’s a lot to read, but a person like Gabrielle Hamilton has a lot to say.